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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28310268">g string</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarwaves/pseuds/lunarwaves'>lunarwaves</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Strippers &amp; Strip Clubs, generous music references</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:34:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,815</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28310268</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarwaves/pseuds/lunarwaves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I was just surprised," Zuko admits. "I always thought you were going to be a musician.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Katara says bitterly, vitriol in her voice as she thinks of how she’d blown hundreds if not thousands of dollars on plane tickets, failed audition after audition. “You would think.”</p><p>--</p><p>(A Stradivarius sits in the corner of an apartment, collecting dust.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Zutara Holiday Exchange 2020, steambending</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>g string</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyyonn/gifts">halcyyonn</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi halcyyonn! i was your secret santa this year! i apologize in advance because this isn't exactly what you asked for and i decided to make it multichaptered so I'LL GET THE REST UP SOON but i hope you have a good holiday!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Lapis Lazuli, you’re up.”</p><p>Katara adjusts the royal blue mask covering the top half of her face. Taking a deep breath, she nods at the frazzled looking manager and wets her lips, swiping a tongue across dark matte lipstick. Smiling, Katara makes her way onto the stage, keeping her eyes on the pole and listening for the music.</p><p>The tune is familiar, muscle memory sinking in as she grabs ahold of the pole and spins, flipping upside down. Curling a leg around the pole, Katara can see Suki out of the corner of her eye, movements both in sync and a contrast to her own.</p><p>The lights are bright as usual, burning blinding and warm while she prays her palms don’t grow sweaty enough to slip off. </p><p>There are only a few more eight-counts left on the pole anyways. Katara counts the beats mechanically, trying to keep her movements sensual and slow even as she grips the metal tighter and goes into a split.</p><p>This move gets whistles and cheers, one she had spent months getting the flexibility and strength for. Dollar bills start getting tossed onto the stage in various states of damage, from neatly creased to heavily crumpled.</p><p>Making eye contact with Suki, Katara slides off the pole, walking towards her with a sway to the hips she <i>knows</i> makes the crowd go wild. </p><p>Sure some of the men are disgusting and greasy, with no concept of boundaries or protocol. But money is money, and Katara is willing to step a bit out of her comfort zone if it meant she could pay her bills.</p><p>Which is why she lets Suki dance on her while feeling her up as she does the same, knowing this is what helps them stay employed, lets them miss the occasional shift and have more say in who they give lap dances to, the privilege coming with earning more for the club.</p><p>Suki lands a choreographed smack to her ass as Katara bends over a rail separating them from the patrons. In a moment of daring, she captures a dollar bill between her teeth, trying to keep her tongue from touching the papery surface. It’s executed cleanly, but she almost drops the money when she makes eye contact with someone she hasn’t seen in years.</p><p>Suddenly, her confidence disappears. She’s in a city thousands of miles away from her hometown but the golden eyes and shaggy black hair are the same as they were in high school. Granted, the years have changed a lot about Zuko. He’s taller, broader, and his hair curls over the tips of his ears, a contrast to the cropped cut he used to have. </p><p>It’s especially strange, because while they weren’t strangers, they weren’t friends either, brought together simply because they were stand partners for the same orchestra.</p><p>It’s a small miracle that Katara’s done this routine a thousand times before, moving on shaky legs as she runs her hands down her body, mind drifting to an orchestra room smelling of mildew, rushing to flip sheet music for some concerto or the other, instruments stored in metal lockers.</p><p>She still has a violin. It’s a Stradivarius, given to her as a present for getting into music school, currently collecting dust in her apartment. </p><p><i>A fat lot of good that music degree is doing me now</i>, Katara thinks bitterly, the song she was dancing to finally ending. She stumbles off the stage, feeling Zuko’s gaze on her back as she tries not to stumble in her ridiculously tall heels, a problem she hasn’t had since she first started stripping.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Suki asks once they’re back in the dressing rooms. The night is still young and while neither of them are dancing onstage anymore, they still have to have the opportunity to give lap dances and private shows.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine,” Katara sighs, sinking down to sit on the floor, the cold tile making her legs break out in goosebumps. “I just saw a familiar face.”</p><p>Suki winces in sympathy, twisting the elastic of her mask around a pale finger. “That’s never fun.”</p><p>She doesn’t know much about Suki other than her real name and the fact she grew up in this city, so maybe it wasn’t as uncommon for her to see someone she knew. But Katara was far away from her hometown, and the odds of seeing a casual acquaintance here after over five years apart were slim to none.</p><p>As she heads back out to the bar, she placates herself with the knowledge that Zuko probably didn’t recognize her. He’d grown in the last few years but so had she. If that wasn’t enough, her face had also been covered by a mask, an extra level of security for her identity.</p><p>And there was no chance he’d remember the quiet girl two years younger than him. Other than sharing a music stand, they almost never interacted, due to the simple circumstances of different friend groups and classes. </p><p>It’s a small comfort, and Katara finds herself regaining a sliver of the confidence she had before stepping out on stage.</p><p>“Room 36,” Aang tells her when she walks up to the bar, wiping down the counter with a big smile on his face. Despite his tattoos and piercings, he remained as approachable as ever and Katara relaxed even further. “Someone requested you.”</p><p>“Thanks Aang,” she says, before slipping into a side hallway with doors lining either side of it. There aren’t any locks on them, an easy way to get out of a bad situation if there ever is one.</p><p>She enters room 36, not entirely sure what to expect but wanting to leave immediately after catching sight of golden eyes and shaggy black hair. </p><p><i>It’s just a coincidence,</i> she tells herself, touching her mask to make sure it’s secure before stepping into the room. </p><p>“Hey,” Katara purrs, keeping her voice low and sultry. “Wanna dance?”</p><p>Zuko is exactly as awkward as he was in high school, turning his head in an effort to hide his scar as well as the flush creeping up his cheeks. “Um, I wanted to talk actually,” He nervously scratches at the back of his neck, peeking up at her nervously before letting his eyes dart away once again to some spot behind her.</p><p>“That’s fine too,” she replies, staying in character. “But I could still show you something if you’d like…?”</p><p>“No that’s fine,” Zuko blurts. “Would you like to have a seat?” He gestures to one of the couches in the room and Katara almost bursts into laughter. Occasionally clients didn’t want a lap dance or real show, simply preferring to have her do a few moves as they vented about their day or their problems. But this- this was different.</p><p>“I’m good, sweetheart. What’s on your mind?” Katara leans her weight onto one leg, popping her hip out as she stares down at him. He’s still not looking at her, deliberately avoiding his gaze on any part of her body. “You’re allowed to look you know,” she says softly. “That’s kind of the point.”</p><p>“Sorry! I just, uh, didn’t want to be disrespectful.” Zuko scratches at his neck again but he finally makes eye contact with her. “You look really familiar.”</p><p>Katara feels her smile freeze on her face. “I get that a lot,” she says, because it’s true. <i>It’s just a coincidence.</i></p><p>“No, I really think I know you. I think we…” Zuko frowns, trying to piece together his memory. “We went to high school together, didn’t we?”</p><p>“Mm, probably not.” </p><p>Zuko goes quiet for a second, lost in thought as he props his chin on his hands. Suddenly, he snaps his fingers. “Orchestra! You’re Katara!”</p><p>She sighs, letting her shoulders drop and finally collapsing onto the couch. “Why are you here?”</p><p>“Bachelor party. Not mine,” he adds hastily. “A college friend’s.”</p><p>“No,” Katara clarifies. “Why are you <i>here</i>? How’d you know who I am?”</p><p>Zuko’s only a couch cushion away from her, so she feels the furniture shift lightly as he finally relaxes enough to lean back. “I moved here after university. And I honestly didn’t know who you were. I suspected when I saw your eyes but you confirmed it after I said your name.”</p><p>“Well I’m surprised you remembered me,” she says honestly. “We didn’t really talk much, even when we were sharing a stand.”</p><p>“Of course I remember you,” Zuko replies, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “You were really good at violin. I just never thought you’d end up as a, uh, stripper.”</p><p>Hackles rising, she feels her body tense, poised for a fight. “Is there something wrong with that?” Katara knows she’s breaking some sort of protocol, that she shouldn’t snap at people this easily, but she did not come here to be mocked-</p><p>“No, no! I’m sorry if it came off that way!” Zuko frantically waves his hands, reaching out to grab her shoulder before seeming to think better of it and going back to threading his fingers together. “I was just surprised. I always thought you were going to be a musician.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she says bitterly, vitriol in her voice as she thinks of how she’d blown hundreds if not thousands of dollars on plane tickets, failed audition after audition. “You would think.”</p><p>“”Did something happen?” he asks, voice unsure. He was just as hesitant in high school, Katara remembers. Despite being second chair in their school’s top orchestra, he still wasn’t confident in his abilities, both in violin and social interaction. </p><p>“You know what? I don’t really want to get into it.” She knows she’s being unnecessarily hostile now but she can’t bring herself to care, preferring not to think about her ultimate failure. “I think we’re done here. You going to tip me?”</p><p>Obligingly, Zuko pulls out his wallet and extracts a $20 bill. “When are you working?” he asks, in lieu of a goodbye.</p><p>She takes the money from him, tucking it into her g-string as she stands. “Every night except Sundays. I can’t promise I’ll talk to you again though.”</p><p>“That’s fine. I’ll see you next week.”</p><p>Katara leaves him alone in that room, head spinning from the interaction she just had. Who knew what was causing Zuko’s sudden interest in her? Did he want to sleep with her now that she’d left high school and became hot?</p><p>While she didn’t normally fuck paying customers, she thinks she could make an exception for Zuko. He’d gotten hot too. The button up he was wearing wasn’t particularly revealing, but Katara could see the bunch and shift of muscled shoulders as well as the hollow between his collarbones where the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.</p><p>So yeah. If Zuko simply wanted to have sex with her and leave, Katara didn’t think she’d mind too much.</p>
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